Blog

I Was Hit By a Car, What Should I Do?

If you’ve been injured as a result of a car accident, you need to do these four things as soon as possible:

Call the police – The police will file an official police report, which you might need later when filing an insurance claim.

Get medical treatment – Regardless of what happened or who’s at fault, if you were injured then you should always seek medical attention.

Notify your insurance – If you have auto insurance or health insurance then all or most of your medical treatment will probably be covered.

Contact a lawyer – This is the second most important thing to do, receiving medical treatment is, of course, the first. An attorney will protect your rights, collect evidence from the scene of the accident, and help you with your insurance company and claims.

If you were hit by a car and in need of medical treatment, you have three options to cover your medical expenses.

Will I Be Paying For My Medical Treatment Out Of Pocket?

Surprisingly, if you have auto insurance, then you can utilize your personal injury protection benefits, also known as PIP, to cover your medical expenses. Even though you were not driving or even in a car, your PIP coverage extends to this situation. However, if you walk everywhere and don’t have a car or auto insurance, then your next best option is to try to use the PIP on a relative resident’s car or the driver’s PIP.

Can I Use the Driver’s PIP?

With this option, if you don’t have a car and don’t live with a relative who has car insurance then you can use the driver’s PIP benefits. Unfortunately, these benefits typically cap at $10,000 overall, so if both you and the driver were seriously injured, then one person’s PIP alone may not cover all of the medical expenses.

What if Neither Of Us Has Car Insurance?

In this scenario, if neither you nor the driver has car insurance, then your last option is to go through your own health insurance. This is typically the last option you will want to take because depending on your health insurance, you may have co-pays or high deductibles, whereas PIP will not have these things.